Monda7 10/17

Rhythm​

DUE:   RepetitionAssignment

Rhythm 

We are working towards breaking down music  -  or a specific song - into fundamentals.  

Observing it's components and what it is made of ...

Speculating about the thought composition / recording process

Almost to come up with a formula so we can say ______________ +  _____________  + _____________    (etc....) = a Song


All in the attempt to be able to talk ( or at least THINK) about the song and make judgements / observations in an informed way and in the proper language

If we Observe the sheet music for the John Legend Tune...

Melody

•         Melody is represented in the top line
• This is the "main" part of the song
• this is what we would whistle / sing along to
• In popular Music Lyrics almost always accompany the Melody

Harmony

• We can see that there are a large number or notes happening simultaneously
• We know there are combinations of notes that DO NOT sound good together
• These sound good/right together : they are part of what's known as Functional Harmony (major/minor chords/scales)

The final Component is rhythm - how the notes are measured over time - 

Remember the characteristics of Music :
Frequency  -  Pitch (High and Low)
Amplitude -  Volume  (Loud and Quiet)
Duration - Note Length (Long and Short)

Listening to any song we can hear that they are a combination of Long and Short notes
( i.e. we would never hear a song with just one long note...)

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Rhythm

• We can hear that there are Long and Short notes , not just one or the other
• We can see in the NOTATION that there are different types of notes
• We can Immediately FEEL the rhythm, and a steady beat , to the point where we can tap our foot / snap our fingers / bob our heads
• In popular music the rhythm is generally provided most obviously by a drum groove - most commonly played by drums, sometimes electronic drum set 

Rhythm As a Concept...

Webster:  a strong, regular, repeated pattern of movement or sound.
OR
Repetitive/Consistant Patterns In Time

This (like Harmony) is a term we take from real life

Think of how many repeated patterns in time we have in our life:
Sleep Schedule.....
Eating/Dietary......
Work Schedule......

The SEASONS are on a repeated Pattern in Time

Physical Movements:
Running -  Consistant Pattern 
Heartbeat.....
Walking....
Chewing....
Talking....

Not only are these present in our life, but we see the theme of
Consistency and Familiarity because we generally 
like the Rhythm ( repetitive patterns in time) at a 
Consistant/Constant Speed

Heartbeat...
Walking...
Chewing ...
Talking...

and FURTHER, if there is a change  or inconsistency in speed with these physical movements, 
that can represent a certain EMOTION

DRUMS / DRUM GROOVES

Instrumentation :   Most commonly, The Rhythm is provided by Drums / Percussion
    Drum Set   Snare Drum    Cymbals   Latin Percussion                  

The Drums provide Rhythm  By Playing a steady and consistent sequence of notes known as a Groove: 

Sometimes today we refer to the groove as ' the beat ' - this however is incorrect usage of the word beat. 

Drum Groove Examples

Hip Hop
You Got Me - Roots         Hip Hop Groove (Funky Drummer)           Drum Groove              QuestLove 


Jazz / Swing
              Swing Groove                Jazz Solo - Original           Jazz Solo - Complex

Characteristics of Rhythm:  Duration/Note Length,  Explicit Vs. Implicit

Rhythm is Delivered - I.E. how we hear it - in many different ways depending on Genre, Instrumentation, and Style etc.

For Example, it could be delivered by a Drum Set in a Rock Band, A Synthesized Beat in  a Modern Hip hop Song,  Pulsing strings in a String Quartet, or beatboxing in an A Capella Ensemble

No Matter what it is Provided by, Regardless of How fast it is, somehow we always Feel the Beat
So, Given that it is Always There, we want to examine it's Characteristics

Delivery: 
What is it being Provided By
How is it being Provided

Explicit  -------------------------VS-------------------------------Implicit

(Very Obvious ---------------------VS-----------------------------Not Obvious)
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*********************Note*******************

Notice How many of these concepts are based on a set of Two Extremes
Examples:

Repetitive-------------vs.----------------Non-Repetitive
High----------------vs-----------------Low

Styles of Delivery

Video #1
Daphnis and Chloe
 
-Beginning is void of any real obvious rhythm
-Mostly Stagnant notes, or instruments playing long notes s
            -this creates that spacey feeling, we are waiting for something to ground us
-Feel the CONTRAST when finally we get some more explicit rhythm at 0:40 in the strings
-They use the lack of rhythm to build to a climax
-by 2:30/3:00 we have a solid rhythm (i.e. can tap our foot)
 
 

Video #2
Now Contrast that with this "Staccato Hora"

-Immediately we have something to tap our foot to
-makes us want to move much more
-the rhythm is explicitly outlined in the music by shorter notes all over the orchestra
 


MORE NOTES = MORE INFORMATION
(In the case, Rhythmic Information)
 
Depending on the note lengths that the different instruments are playing, we can alter how the rhythm is implied



Video #3
How does this apply to modern pop music:
 
Try to apply some of those concepts to this modern pop song

Questions About Rhythm in A Specific Song
How Is the Rhythm being Implied?
What is the rhythm being Implied/Provided by? 
Is it VERY obvious, or NOT VERY obvious?  
How is this effected by note length/duration?
How could he imply differently?
What sounds best


Video #4
What if we were to add drums to that track? 

Questions About Rhythm in A Specific Song
How Is the Rhythm being Implied?
What is the rhythm being Implied/Provided by? 
Is it VERY obvious, or NOT VERY obvious?  
How is this effected by note length/duration?
How could he imply differently?
Optional: 
What sounds best?